The Providence Arcade was the US's first indoor shopping mall, and it will soon be transformed into a new micro apartment building complex. The historic building is currently undergoing a renovation that will transform the top two floors of offices and

The Providence Arcade was the US's first indoor shopping mall, and it will soon be transformed into a new micro apartment building complex. The historic building is currently undergoing a renovation that will transform the top two floors of offices and retail space into efficiency apartments available at reasonable rents. Developed by Evan Granoff, the revival project will make the building useful once again while supporting the new space living trend.

Built in 1828, the Providence Arcade (also called the Westminster Arcade) was the country’s first indoor shopping mall and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1976. The historic structure is notable for its classic Greek architecture, Ionic columns and its large central atrium lit from above with skylights. The ground floor featured larger retail with the upper two floors filled with offices and smaller shops. It was closed in 2008 to undergo renovation and along the way it was decided that the upper floors would be turned into apartments. The nature of the layout and size of the spaces made it an easy fit for micro apartments or efficiency apartments.

Set to open sometime in the spring of 2013, the updated Providence Arcade will feature ground floor retail and restaurant space and then 48 apartments. Of these 38 will be micro-sized one bedroom studios from 225-450 square feet. The other 10 are one- to three-bedroom units of larger sizes. The micro apartments feature a half-size refrigerator, sink, dishwasher, microwave, full bathroom with shower, along with built-in storage, queen bed and pull down Murphy bed. The complex also provides space for a laundry room, common room, and bike storage facility. It’s located in the heart of downtown Providence and is intended for people who don’t cook a lot (since there’s no oven) but is conveniently located to lots of amenities. Leases for the one bedroom efficiency apartments begin at a reasonable $550 per month.